NASCAR, Detroit automakers discuss new 'Gen 6' car design

DETROIT -- The new NASCAR Sprint Cup season gets under way in a few weeks and three new car designs will pass under the first green flag.

Organizers of the country's most popular racing series are hoping the new cars lure old fans back and draw some new ones.

NASCAR president Mike Helton and other officials from the sanctioning body, along with representatives of racing divisions of General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Toyota North America were at a media roundtable at the College for Creative Studies to discuss the continued rollout of the new platform.

The Gen-6 cars, the sixth major overhaul in the sport's 65-year history, conform closely to body outlines of production vehicles. It's a shift from NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow, used fully on the Sprint Cup Series since 2008.

The COT updated safety features in the wake of the 2001 death of Dale Earnhardt and teams used a uniform template meant to level the competitive field. The car drew raves in the former area but was unpopular with drivers, who complained it didn't handle well and was uncomfortable.

Fans weren't pleased, either. Aside from the cars looking the same, they seemed to give lead cars an advantage on larger tracks, especially in restrictor-plate races.

Going back to the sport's stock-car roots, Helton said, is vital.

"We've found that four of five of our fans have an affinity for the brand of car," he said. "A lot of those relationships are even older than the relationship with their favorite driver."

During Tuesday morning's panel, Helton announced that the manufacturer's brand badge will now flank the drivers' names atop their windshields.

"We believe this will help build the identity of the driver with the race car and their relationship with the manufacturer," Helton said.

To that end, NASCAR worked closely with Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota to develop new cars that match the profiles of stock models sold in showrooms.

The new cars feature body panels unique to the Ford Fusion, Toyota Camry and Chevrolet SS, and Kim Brink, NASCAR's vice president of brand, consumer and series marketing, said it's part of an aim to strengthen the way fans view the cars on the track vis-a-vis the cars sold in showrooms.

"The new car is a game-changer for us in marketing," she said.

Manufacturers usually adapt a race car's design after a production car hits showrooms, but Chevrolet will turn the tables in Daytona when it introduces the 2014 SS on Feb. 16. The NASCAR model will race later that evening in the Sprint Unlimited, and Jim Campbell of Chevrolet Performance Racing said the automaker will debut the production car in the fan midway at the speedway.

Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, said the Gen-6 cars also will feature new safety enhancements in the roll cages and are about 150 pounds lighter than last year's models. Feedback from drivers, he added, has been good so far but everyone is waiting to see what happens when the first green flag drops.

"We'll see what happens when they're door-to-door," he said. "Right now it's just been individual tests and guys driving by themselves."

NASCAR's TV ratings declined during the 2012 season and officials citied competition from the summer Olympic games and other sports. Even more troubling was a projected 25 percent loss of fans in the coveted 18-to-34 demographic.

NASCAR's media blitz continues tomorrow at ESPN's Bristol, Conn., headquarters and also will make stops in New York and Jacksonville, Fla., before arriving in Daytona Beach. The Daytona 500 is Feb. 24.